The college was founded by an eminent jurist and philanthropist V. Krishnaswamy Iyer in 1906.

In 2017, the college has launched its digital campus to disseminate and teach Sanskrit through online platform.

It also offers diploma and part-time certificate courses in Sanskrit.

The college offers MPhil and PhD programmes and the selection of research scholars is as per Madras University norms.

The Kuppuswami Sastri Research Institute founded in 1944, is also located on the same campus.